Late Night Kintaro, Santouka

There's always a line time but it goes by pretty quick. We waited about 20 minutes before we got seated for two people. We knew immediately what we wanted to order. We were in and out of the restaurants in 40 minutes. Reuben enjoyed the classic SHIO RAMEN ($7.95) with a side of learn pork. 

Ladies love the CHEESE RAMEN ($9.95). This meal definitely hit the spot especially if your craving something rich and heavy. This was the perfect type of comfort food that Vancouverite love to eat on a cold wet night. Kintaro is my all time favourite. 

SANTOUKA 

Top: Miso ramen ($9.95)- Soybean paste
This was a rich and flavourful broth. The portion was smaller than Kintaro which is okay with me because it was the perfect amount for my satisfaction.

Forty Ninth Parallel Café & Lucky's Doughnuts (West 4th)

Being the food trend whore that seems to represent Vancouver, Reuben was very excited to see all of the different doughnut opportunities the city has presented us with.  We've tried Voodoo (not local I know, but famous), Lee's, Cartem's, etc....

One of the places we hadn't yet tried was Lucky's Doughnuts, and on a beautiful June day a stroll to Kits was a great reason to give it a try.  Neither of us had been to either location, so this was our first time getting lucky.

Veggie Girl was exhausted from the walk/heat, as she did not grow up in the Okanagan desert.  Also, she was rehabing a broken bone, and starting to gain more mobility.  This meant that she would be in charged of finding a table in the packed restaurant while Reuben ordered.

A few things to mention about this Kitsilano location:

• Busy
• Nice patio with stools outside
• Tables really close together
• Fast paced ordering, service was friendly, but rushed
• Sitting spaces are at a premium

With the decision to choose two good doughnuts Reuben had his work cut out for him.  Being nuts for peanuts, the PB&J doughnut ($3.50) was an obvious choice.  This came with unconventional geometry with flat sides and a circular hole.  The doughnut was topped with Peanut Butter icing and crushed peanuts.  The inside was filled with a from-scratch jam.  This was both of our favorites, and the doughnut was huge and dense.  The flavours were well represented without being too sweet, and not being dry.

The other option took a little bit more decision making.  Split between the Salted Caramel, French Cruller, or the Apple Bacon Fritter ($3.50), Reuben went with his heart (or against it) and took the bacon.  This was not quite as big as the first doughnut, and was not nearly as sweet.  The doughnut was as expected dense, but also had good moisture once again.  We were however not blown away by the flavours.  In fact we were somewhat underwhelmed.  Despite a decent amount of toppings we could not really distinguish any of the apple or bacon.  Perhaps the PB&J numbed our tastebuds.

Overall we enjoyed our visit to Lucky's, and we hope to take advantage of some of there coffee and doughnut deals which sounds like a good deal at $4.  The interesting flavours, and cool atmosphere were worth the hype.  It does get busy, and not everyone likes the bustling dining room but I think it is a great option for doughnut cravers in town.  Both of us agree however that it is not quite at Cartem's level.

Summary:

+ Great location

+ Large, moist doughnuts with great variety

+ Good combo deal (we didn't try this)

- Expensive

- Can get busy

Meat and Bread (Cambie)

Veggie Girl has grown up eating the great food Vancouver has to offer, Reuben on the other hand is just discovering it.  One of the most popular new restaurants is Meat and Bread, with two locations downtown.  One afternoon we met up at the Cambie location for lunch to get some sandwiches.  

We arrived to a short line, and were greeted by the friendly staff.  Immediately the first thing I noticed was how cool the interior was.  Aside from the Porchetta being sliced in front of us, there were communal tables, a punching bag in the back, and stumptown coffee available.  There was a real gastown vibe.

The menu is very simple, with 3 permanent sandwich choices and one special.  On this day the special was a Perogie Sandwich ($9.00) which contained Braised Ham Hock, Carmelized Onion Sour Cream, Bacon Cheddar Mashed Potato, Sauerkraut. Veggie girl ordered this, while Reuben went with the Porchetta ($8.00) with salsa verde, because it was his first time eating at Meat and Bread, and it seems like their specialty.

First of all, the presentation was unreal for a sandwich shop.  The cedar plank with waxed paper, and dallop of sauce almost made us feel bad for eating it.  

Reuben's porchetta sandwich was good, but did not live up to the perhaps too high expectations.  The flavours seemed mild, and the texture did not stand out.  With that said, it was gone within a few short minutes so it was by no means bad.  Next time he will probably try one of the other options.

Veggie girl's perogie sandwich was very good, and in hindsight perogies are always good.  The smooth perogies contrasted the crunchy sauerkraut.  The flavours also really blended together, which is impressive given the number of ingredients.  This was definitely the favorite.  

Summary:

+ Very cool restaurant

+ Very unique specials

+ Good sandwiches

- Porchetta didn't meet expectations, but perhaps these were unrealistically high.  It was still very good.